


Bend, Don't Break

by frith_in_thorns



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Episode Tag, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Lin is sulky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-31
Updated: 2012-05-31
Packaged: 2017-11-06 10:05:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/417611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frith_in_thorns/pseuds/frith_in_thorns
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tag to 1x07: The Aftermath. Lin prefers to deal with hurt in private. If only the Avatar would leave her alone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bend, Don't Break

It would have been humiliating, to be saved by the Avatar and her band of little friends, but Lin was far beyond that now. She was pulled taut by rage, fiercely held in check. Rage at Amon, at Sato. At herself, for being too slow, for having needed a _child_ to help her.

Mostly at herself.

Tenzin was looking at her worriedly, in a way which he probably thought was gently calming but was actually making her teeth itch with irritation. "You should see a healer," he said. "There's one on Air Temple Island. Maybe you should come back with us."

"I'm done talking about what to do next," Lin said. "I've already decided."

He let out a soft sigh, which had too much dammed pity in it. And it made it hard to say anything in response — she wondered, as she often did, if he knew how aggravating it could be.

Tenzin gave her another long look and walked over to join Korra, who was trying not to watch Mako and Asami, and put a hand on her shoulder. Lin turned away abruptly, wincing slightly as what felt like every muscle in her body protested, and stalked off to find someone she could shout at.

\- - -

Resigning turned out to take a lot of work. Well, she hadn't technically resigned yet, but she was already planning every possible way her encounter with Tarrlok might play out. And when she walked out on him, having said all that she had to say, _no one_ would be able to accuse her of having left the police force in a mess for someone else to clean up.

Rumours of what was happening were already spreading through the building like wildfire. Many were close to the truth — she hired for intelligence, not just bending ability, whatever _some people_ might say. Lin snarled at everyone who came to her looking for confirmation and dictated endless lists of instructions. There were _so many_ of them. This job, this life she held was so full, so complicated; there was so much of it, so many people depending on her. Did she even have a right to leave?

At last the sun came up, and she went to find Tarrlok. He would be expecting her.

\- - -

"You!" Lin snapped — or tried to, but her voice was hoarse. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you," Korra said, pushing herself up off the step. She had been sitting there in the morning sun, looking anxious but trying not to show it. "Did you really resign?"

Lin pushed past her and into her house, hoping that it would be enough of an answer. Unfortunately, Korra seemed to see it as an invitation, and followed her inside.

"What do you _want_?" Lin demanded. She was exhausted, and her head was pounding. Not to mention the rest of her body. She had been anticipating falling into bed and sleeping through the news breaking over the city. She had hoped for at least a day without having to factor the Avatar into whatever plans she made.

Korra refused to be intimidated. "I wanted to make sure you were okay." She sounded very earnest. The Sato girl seemed to be rubbing off on her.

"I'm fine. You can go now."

Korra didn't. Lin glared at her. That also failed to make her leave.

Perhaps a better strategy would be to act as though she simply wasn't there. Lin split her armour open and stepped out of it, letting it fall abandoned to the floor instead of putting it away in its proper place. For a second she was afraid that she was going to stumble without its rigid support, but she mastered herself, and if she moved to her bedroom more slowly than usual, it was at least steadily.

The Avatar followed her. Of _course_ she did.

"This is my house," Lin pointed out, too tired to put much bite into her voice. If Korra hadn't been deterred so far, it didn't seem very likely that it would change now. Lin went back to ignoring her, finding her nightclothes and stripping out of her tunic and leggings. Korra blushed darkly and quickly turned her back, which was possibly the first thing Lin had found amusing since the Sato raid had begun.

She took advantage of the moment, collapsing into bed and pulling the sheets up over her face. It was the sort of action which had always won out over maturity in her mother's books.

\- - -

Lin jerked awake with a yelp.

"Oops," Korra said, guiltily. "I was trying not to wake you."

Lin sat upright and glared. "What, you thought I wouldn't notice the water everywhere?" 

"That only happened when your floor grabbed my feet," Korra pointed out. Her lack of concern was actually slightly impressive. She had to have recovered herself and responded to the threat almost instantly — the last person to try to sneak up on Lin when she was sleeping had had most of the bones in their feet and ankles crushed.

Lin let the ceramic tiles ease back into place. "Water," she repeated. "Explain."

"Oh! Right." Korra wicked as much of it as she could out of Lin's bed and back into the large bowl it had apparently come from. The dampness remained. "I'm really sorry. I was just trying to be helpful." Her slightly anxious half-grin was once again annoyingly earnest.

"Yes, yes, of course you were." Lin thought she had sized up the situation by now. "Maybe you should have considered that whether or not you're using it for healing, water still tends to be _cold_. And _wet_."

"Last time I healed someone who was unconscious, they stayed that way all through it."

"I was asleep," Lin said, with dignity. " _Not_ unconscious."

Korra, at last, wisely chose to stop talking.

Lin could have said any number of things right then. But she sighed, and rubbed her eyes, and what she actually said was, "Go and make some tea."

Korra fled. That was gratifying, at least.

Lin dressed very slowly. Everything _hurt_. She took a minute to examine the deep bruising which even her armour hadn't been able to protect her from. "Does Tenzin know you're here?" she called.

"Yep!" Korra hollered in reply, her cheerfulness apparently back.

Great. They'd all assume her continued absence meant that the Avatar was welcome in her home. Which she wasn't. Obviously. Lin finished belting a _dry_ robe around herself and went in search of tea.

Thankfully, it was forthcoming. The brewing of it seemed to be something which Korra had actually applied care to — Katara's faithful adherence to Iroh's exacting methods was recognisable. "Thank you," Lin said, and Korra beamed.

Katara, it seemed, could still teach patience.

Lin stretched slightly, and groaned. "Go _on_ then," she said. "Do your healing stuff." 

It seemed, after all, to be what Korra was searching for. A way to be useful. "I'm very good," she promised, with familiar confidence. Well, they would need confidence.

"I should hope so," Lin grumbled as Korra summoned water to press over the first of the bruises on her arms. "Your training has to be good for something besides that sport you're so obsessed with."

Korra didn't look the least put out by Lin's tone. But then, Lin had stopped intending her to be.


End file.
